Four ETFs For Linsanity

It seems like only yesterday that the sports world was swept up in Tebow-mania as golden boy quarterback Tim Tebow guided the Denver Broncos to heights no one was expecting at the start of the 2011 season. Well, basketball season is in full swing now and Tebow-mania has given way to a new phenomenon: Linsanity. That's right, hoop fans everywhere are now captivated by the story of Jeremy Lin, an undrafted point guard that played his college ball not a college hoops mecca like Duke, Kentucky or UCLA, but rather at Harvard. As the world knows by now, Lin is running the show for the New York Knicks and that's undoubtedly part of the reason he is receiving so much attention. The reality is even if Lin was dropping 40 a game in Memphis or Utah, Linsanity would not be so insane. But give Lin credit. Not only has he proven to be a pleasant surprise on the court, he's moving markets off the court. And just as there were ETFs for Tebow-mania there are ETFs for Linsanity. iShares MSCI Taiwan Index Fund EWT We're definitely not looking to start any racial fires here. We'll leave that to Jason Whitlock. Lin was born in the U.S., but he is of Taiwanese heritage making the iShares MSCI Taiwan Index Fund an appropriate member of the Linsanity portfolio. EWT is up almost 13% year-to-date, but we're not going out on any limbs here and saying that Linsanity is responsible for all of that rally. Some of it? Maybe. Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR XLY Time Warner Cable TWC, an XLY holding, and Madison Square Garden MSG are still feuding, but Linsanity could hasten an agreement between the two parties. Outside of New York, Lin could easily drive NBA ratings higher and that's good news for Walt Disney DIS, which broadcasts NBA games on its ESPN network. Dow component Disney is XLY's third-largest holding. SPDR S&P Retail ETF XRT The SPDR S&P Retail ETF was one our Tebow plays and it makes for a logical Linsanity ETF as well. At least seven of XRT's holdings combing for over 10% of the ETF's weight are places to buy Lin jerseys. Maybe Linsanity is helping XRT push towards a new 52-week, which the ETF is currently doing. iShares KLD 400 Social Index Fund DSI Another thing Lin and Tebow share in common is that both are vocal are about their religious beliefs so why not add a socially responsible fund to the mix? DSI is home to almost 400 stocks and five sectors have double-digit weights, so this fund is certainly diverse. However, it has also lagged the SPDR S&P 500 SPY by a full percentage point in 2012 perhaps indicating there are better ways to play DSI's large-cap, blue-chip heavy lineup.